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One year ago Sunday, Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his debut with the Galaxy, down three goals and just days after his arrival.
What transpired in those 20-plus minutes will be forever etched in Galaxy history as Ibrahimovic scored a pair of goals, including a 35-yard strike that gave everyone the first “wow” moment in what turned into a 4-3 win over LAFC.
“I’m happy that I could play football, that was the main thing,” Ibrahimovic said. “I was happy I was able to do what I always do, going out, play with the ball, feel the grass. That I think was the best part.”
Ibrahimovic had undergone knee surgery while playing with Manchester United in 2017.
His performance last season proved he still has the ability to produce magical moments. He played in 24 games last season and scored 22 goals with 10 assists.
This season he has been slowed by an Achilles injury that has forced him out of the past two games and kept him off the training field until this week ahead of Sunday night’s game with the Portland Timbers (6 p.m.; ESPN).
Ibrahimovic’s status for Sunday night remains unclear, especially with a road game next week on artificial turf in Vancouver.
“I feel good,” he said Thursday. “Day by day, we’ll make an evaluation of how are things and how I feel, but it is going better. I feel more and more confident. I feel good, it’s all about how long I can keep it, that I don’t know. You have to find out when you’re playing.”
Ibrahimovic scored in the season opener March 2 against the Chicago Fire in a 2-1 Galaxy win. Following the game, he said he felt something in his left Achilles early in the game.
“I felt tightness and it was growing and at the end (of the game), it was too painful,” he said. “I kept playing because I had too much adrenaline. I knew I would score, so I didn’t want to step out and I wanted to win the first game, so I stayed, but I had a lot of pain.
“This is what I go through now. So take time, recover good and stay good because if I feel good enough, I’m playing. If I don’t feel good enough, I’m not playing because it gets worse.
“I’ve played 800 games, this is the first time it has happened. I’ve played on snow, grass, turf, everything, never happened.”
Although his second season has started off slowly, Ibrahimovic remains confident in the move.
“The worst part was the serious stuff, we didn’t make it to the playoffs and we were fighting for the fifth and sixth place (in the Western Conference),” he said. “That for me, I don’t fight for those places, I fight for No. 1.”
Alessandrini working his way back
Ibrahimovic wasn’t the only Designated Player who made his way back to the training field this week. Romain Alessandrini left the season opener against Chicago with a hamstring injury.
“I feel great, a little bit tired,” Alessandrini said. “The last two weeks (off) were good for me and hopefully this weekend I’ll play.
PORTLAND (0-2-1) at GALAXY (2-1)
Kickoff: 6 p.m. at Dignity Health Sports Park
TV/Radio: ESPN2; KTMZ/1220; LAGalaxy.com (English)
Update: The Timbers have gotten off to a surprisingly slow start and have been porous in defending, allowing a league-high 10 goals through three games. They’re playing their first 12 games on the road while Providence Park is being renovated. This is their second trip to L.A. – they were defeated by LAFC 4-1 on March 10.
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